Overheard

Carmel, Ind.-based ITT Technical Institute is seeking applicants for several Springfield-based positions, according to job listings on www.indeed.com. Dean, finance director, recruitment director and registrar are among the available full-time positions. An ITT spokeswoman told Springfield Business Journal she could not comment on whether an ITT campus was in the works for Springfield. ITT Tech offers a variety of technology-oriented study programs to about 48,000 students at more than 100 institutes in 30 states, according to www.itt-tech.edu. ITT has two campuses in the St. Louis area and one in Kansas City, according to the site.

State details scheme

According to the Missouri Division of Finance, an unnamed Springfield-area mortgage broker being investigated for alleged mortgage fraud used grossly overstated income information, phony down payments and dubious appraisals to defraud lenders out of $10 million in six months. Here’s how the scheme worked: A builder’s speculative homes valued at $300,000 were appraised for more than $700,000. The broker found buyers by characterizing the homes as no-cash-down investment opportunities, with $30,000 to $80,000 cash back outside of closing. Loan applications with stated incomes were then shopped around to various so buyers could acquire numerous homes within a short time but claim each as a principal residence. The broker and Realtors involved in the alleged scheme received lofty commissions based on the inflated sales prices. Borrowers were instructed to make one or two loan payments and were promised that the properties would sell quickly and profitably. Most, however, never sold and were foreclosed on in less than a year.

Slice of Nice

The Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations is accepting nominations for the city’s 2008 Human Rights and Community Relations Awards. The program recognizes and celebrates outstanding accomplishments by an individual, community organization, business organization or nonprofit group, in the area of promoting appreciation for diversity, human rights and cultural understanding in Springfield.

This year’s award recipient(s) will be honored with a reception and presentation on Oct. 2 at the Kentwood Arms Crystal Room.

Nomination packets are available at the office of the Mayor’s Commission, 1514 S. Glenstone Ave., in the Missouri Career Center. Packets may also be requested by calling (417) 841-3350, sending a fax to (417) 887-1892 or e-mailing kclancy@jcocmis.org. Nominations will be accepted through Aug. 15.

Twice of Nice

Sixty McDonald’s restaurants in the Ozarks are helping fight breast cancer through the “Eat Good Feel Good” campaign. McDonald’s will donate 50 cents to Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks for every premium salad sold until July 13. The program meets both the restaurant’s balanced, active lifestyle initiative and BCFO’s goals of encouraging people to adopt a low-fat, high-fiber diet to decrease the risk of breast cancer. For more information on the campaign, contact Stephanie Lutes at (417) 862-3838 or e-mail stephanie@bcfo.org.